During construction of homes, buildings, and other various structures, there is a need for a variety of interior and exterior wall coverings. Wall coverings serve to protect the interior of the dwelling from the outside environment while also being aesthetically pleasing. Wall coverings have been devised from many materials and compositions over the centuries of human development. One such popular wall covering material is made from granite, granulite, marble or the like. These wall coverings have been popular in Europe, where large, heavy slabs and blocks are formed and constructed to create a wall whose exceptional beauty and elegance would endure for thousands of years. While these materials are durable and aesthetically pleasing, there are severe drawbacks to their widespread use. They are costly to manufacture and are extremely heavy, thereby adding a substantial amount of weight to a buildings construction. Additionally, when fabricating stone wall coverings from granite and marble, a significant amount of waste is produced. Waste is also produced from other industries creating decorative statues, monuments, headstones and the like. The waste is typically smaller chunks of stone which are no longer desired. These smaller chunks and bits can be ground into a mix of stones for later use in other applications. Also, when cutting a sheet of stone such as marble, dust is created. This marble dust can then be collected and reused.
Venice is a particular area where weight conservation was and remains to be very important. Venice is built upon the sea and is slowly sinking. Accordingly, it is desired to keep the weight of any structure to a minimum. Heavy stones and the like are only used for structural support to create the foundation of the buildings. Having a building burdened with large and heavy marble stones as wall coverings would unduly weigh the structure down. Because it was impossible to use stone slabs for the walls of any structure, other unique methods of wall coverings were experimented with. For many years architects and designers experimented with various methods and materials, looking for a way to finish walls to give their city the same enduring elegance as cities built on the mainland. To this end they were able to come up with Lime Wash, Venetian Plaster and Granulite.
Venetian Plaster is a finishing technique using thin layers of plaster applied with a spatula or trowel and then burnished to create a smooth surface with the illusion of depth and texture. “Venetian Plaster” is an American-made term to explain the variety of different techniques and materials used to create the polished stucco finish. The term “Venetian Plaster” is a common misconception. The English word “plaster” comes from old French word “plaister” which literally means gypsum. The term “Venetian Plaster” is mainly used between architects and designers in the US. None of the materials used to create those finishes is actually a plaster, except the Scagliola finish. Basic plaster mix is comprised of gypsum, sand and lime or sometimes just the gypsum and sand. In other words, gypsum is the main material in the plaster mix. Stucco is the mix of lime and sand (traditional) and modern stucco is the mix of lime, cement and sand. Another form of wall covering is Granulite. Granulite originally was used as a decorative application for the exterior only, but can now be used as an interior wall covering. However, the finished surface is very rough and full of noticeable pores in between the rocks which will collect dust. Unfortunately the dust cannot be removed through various cleaning techniques. This will eventually negatively affect the overall look of the wall covering.
Marble dust has been used for making cement compounds, such as those used for swimming pools. The first step in building a built-in swimming pool is excavation of the pool site. A steel reinforced cage is installed and bent to form a grid-like pattern to strengthen the cement shell. A pump trunk then shoots a grout mix/shotcrete (also called gunite) out of a nozzle onto the cage and pool walls. Marble dust is then applied to the gunite. The life of the marble dust finish is dependent upon a number of factors including proper chemical balances, such as the amount of calcium. Additionally, tiles may be affixed upon the marble dust. While this process works well for swimming pools, but does not lend itself for use as lightweight wall coverings.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a new form of wall/surface covering that can be easy to apply, light, inexpensive and not be full of noticeable pores and the like which can become dirty. Additionally, there is a need for a mixture to be non-cementitious and water-based. Also, it is advantageous if this new form of surface covering was fire resistant. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides other related advantages.